Territory



(No Mdel.)

R. G. LBEDHAM.

'ROLLER SKATE.'

WTNESSES.' I /NVEVTOH A TTOHNE YS.

Nrrnn vSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUSSELL CLINTON LEEDHAM, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH TERRITORY.

ROLLER-SKATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 504,226, dated August29, 1893.

Application led June '7, 1892. Serial No. 435,798. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that L-RUssELL CLINTON LEED- HAM, of Salt Lake City, in thecounty of Salt Lake and Territory of Utah, have invented a new anduseful Roller-Skate, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to a novel device for rapid locomotion, andconsists in the peculiar construction and combination of parts, as ishereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had' to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a side view broken, of/the device; and Fig. 2 is atransverse sectional view on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

The device, briefly considered, comprises a transporting wheel rotatablysupported upon a frame that is spring cushioned on guides that areadapted for attachment upon the wearers feet and legs, there beingprovision made to prevent a retrograde movement of the wheels of thepair of similar unicycles, so that a wearer may with a little practicesafely glide at great speed'over level surfaces, or up grades that arenot excessive in pitch.

Referring to the drawings: A, A, represent a pair of parallel guide rodswhich are joined together at the lower ends by a spacing bar A', that ispreferably made integral with the parts it joins. The upper end portionsof the guide rods are retained in parallel condition by a transversestay bar a, which is perforated near each end to slip over the reducedand threaded ends a of the rods A, and be held seated upon the shouldersthereon produced, by the nuts b.

At a proper distance from the spacing bar A', a cross bar c is adjustably secured upon the guide rods A, by set screw bolts c', a-ndbetween this cross bar and the stay bar o, preferably near the latter, atransverse bracerod d is affixed by set screws, the pieces a, c, d,being all perforated inv their end portions an equal distance apart, topermit them to be slid upon the guide rods before the top bar a isclamped in place as stated.

A wheel carrier frame B, is provided, which is preferably formed of aflat bar bentat two points e, in the saine direction and parallel on alltheir edges.

Across the carrier frame B, at the lower end, a slide bar g, is securedthereto, that has hub like enlargements g' on the ends, which areperforated to loosely fit upon the guide rods A.

At a short distance from the upper end of the carrier frame B, anotherslide bar h, is transversely aflixed on it, the enlarged end portions hthereon being suitably apertured to slide freely on the guide rods, andbetween this slide bar and the stay bar a, gum washers i, are placed onthe guide rods, and are designed to prevent percussion between thesebars when the device is in use.

At a point near the brace rod d, there is a third slide bar m, securedacross the carrier frame B, the end portions mv', of which areperforated to engage loosely and reciprocate on the guide rods A.

Between the end portions c', of the cross bar c, and the perforated hubsm0n the slide bar m, the strong spiral springs fn, encircle the guiderods A, and thus serve to cushion the frame B, and elastically supportit on the guide rods.

From one side of the carrier frame B, a loop frame C, is projected,which is preferably shaped as shown, said frame being furcated near theupper end that is attached at o, to the one member of the frame B, thedi-v vergent limbs being bent downwardly and outwardly as at o', 02, inFig. 2, and at o3 curvedinwardly to produce a horizontal bearing for thesandal or tread-piece lo; which latter is properly formed to fit thesole of a wearers foot covering, as indicated in Fig. 1, said treadpiece being secured to the loop frame C, upon its lower portions withinthe loop, that should be of a proper size to freely admit the foot of awearer.

The cross-bar c is centrally perforated and threaded therein to receivea spindle r, that is thereto secured by its threaded end that engagessaid perforation. A proper length is given to the spindle r, for thesupport of a wheel D, which is dished as shown in Fig. 2, and has itshub s, in loose engagement with the spindle. The outer end of thespindle fr, is sustained by a V-shaped hanger frame E,

that is connected at the upper end` to the brace rod d, on the guiderods A, its limbs converging to join at their lower ends, forming a hubplate t, that is perforated to receive the end portion of the spindle frwhich projects beyond the wheel hub s, there being an integral collar u,formed on the spindle that is located between the hub of the wheel D,and hanger frame, so that the wheel will not be cramped when the hangerframe is axed upon the spindle by a nut u', that engages the projectedend portion of the spindle, as shown in Fig. 2.

The wheel D, is preferably tired with gum D and is of such a diameter aswill enable the wearer ot a pair of these noveLlocomotors, to make rapidprogress without excessive exertion, and to facilitate the donning ofthe like devices, each has loops fu, formed on the carrier frame B, nearits upper end, and similar loops w, on the under side of the tread piecep, and near its front and rear ends, through which suitable straps areinserted and then secured around the feet and lower limbs of the wearer.

It is essential that a forward movement only be permitted, so that theskater will not be liable to fall rearward by a reverse rotation of thewheels D. To effect such a provision, the end portion of the hub s,nearest to the carrier frame B, is furnished with a radial flange s', towhich a ratchet out disk S2, is secured concentrically. A ratchettoothed bar a', is furnished, whereon the looped ends m', are formed,which loops hook'over the slide bars m, and `g, to which the ratchet baris loosely secured by the short limbs y, so that it will hang parallelwith the carrier frame B, and engage its teeth with those of the ratchetwheel s2. of parts, a spring 002, is secured upon the slide bar m, withone end, and projects its other end within the bow of the upper loop w',on the ratchet bar, so that its force will lift the latter and rock ittoward the ratchet wheel. The teeth on the ratchet bar hook downwardly,and those on the wheel or disk s2, are adapted to interlock therewith,so that a rotative movement of wheel D, is only permitted in thedirection indicated by the curved arrow in Fig. l, which will adapt theappliances to move forward when actuated by the wearer. In use, theoperator simply steps forward as in walking or running, which willprogress-- ively move him at a rapid rate, the weight To enforce such acontact j r l claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patentl. Thecombination with a sliding carrier frame, afoot rest thereon, guide rodsspaced apart by transverse braces, and spiral springs on the guide rodsbetween a brace thereon and a transverse slide bar on the frame, of arotatable wheel, and a ratchet device therefor that permits its rotationin but one direction, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a carrier frame adapted for attachment on awearers lower limb, transverse slide bars thereon, two parallel guiderods, spacing bars therefor, and two spiral springs thereon between aspacing bar and a slide bar, of a dished -rotatable wheel, a spindletherefor held at its ends on a spacing bar of the guide rods and adepending hanger frame, a hanger frame secured to a cross brace of theguide rods, a foot support,and a ratchet device which permits the wheelto rotate in one direction only, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a sliding carrier frame, two guide rodstherefor, spacing braces for the guide rods, slide bars secu-red to theframe and loose on the guide rods, two spiral springs, two gum washersadapted to take up shock between the frame and guide rods, a loop frameon the carrier frame, a tread piece thereon provided with strap loops,and similar loops above on the carrier frame, of a dished wheel having agum tire thereon, a fixed spindle on one of the guide rod braces and ona hanger frame depending from another guide rod brace, a ratchet disk onthe wheel hub, a ratchet bar loosely connected to slide bars of thecarrier frame, and a spring therefor, substantially as described.

RUSSELL CLINTON LEEDHAM.

lVitn esses ALBERT E. BUoKwELL, WILLIAM Cook.

IOO

